>>22877237If you watch speedruns, you can see just how skipping one or two routes worth of trainers really will have a huge effect on your levels. Obviously, speedruns will RNG manipulate to get places at some spots, but a speedrun of HGSS involves 'some' levelling in order to beat red. And you have to use a shitload of items to power them up and have some luck with opponent moves.
So, the way I look at it is if you skip trainers, or anything IN the game that you are designed to run into, you need to expect to use these haphazard tactics and luck and items in your battles. I never once avoided a trainer whenever I play any game. I talk to ever person in every town. By the end of every game I play I'm strong enough to beat the last guy, with minimal resetting.
With B2, I got to the end and I had 6 Pokemon that were either 2 levels above or below the E4. At this point, one SE move against me and conk out a guy with shit defenses, but at the same time using coverage moves, good typing, proper switching and predicting becomes a big deal. A good player will have difficulty but still won't be frustrated enough to smash their game because they may lose but they won't die 6 times in a row going 6-0 every match.
Ideally, that's the way I like to play my game. And it depends how you play it. Take only three guys, and you could be higher levels. Some people will just train one guy to like level 95 and just have some high defense guys to rotate so they can max revive the. If guy whenever he faints. It all works and it's all valid.
But I agree with your definition of grinding. Grinding is done so, if in my situation, my team would be 5-10 levels above the other team rather than nearly equal. You grind if you want your Charizard to tank a stone edge from an e4 mon and keep going simply because you Zard is insanely levelled. But taking advantage of the game, via exploring, rematches, finding fun items, good moves, and so on, isn't grinding.
